DVC @ Disney World Tesla / EV Charging

[emchen]

Guys, please don’t move this to a ‘Transportation’ forum. I’m not trying to help people rent cars flying into MCO. (Punchline, do NOT rent an EV at WDW).

I’m hoping we can start a real conversation about what DVC properties should have. We spend $35,000 for 150 points for our ‘second home’…just don’t drive your car here.

I can delete all the non-DVC lists if needed.

I hope mods don't move this to Transpo forum either...there is a real 'S'-curve transition that is taking place within the next 10 years that will see EVs replace internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in terms of new vehicle sales (as in 5% today to 99% of new-vehicle sales in the next decade). It WILL be like the automobile transition from horse-and-carriage.

This is just it though. It’s becoming more and more frequent that the higher end rental places have 30 EVs leftover after they’ve rented out all their gas powered cars, and your choice is an EV or nothing. Do you roll the dice that it will be sufficient and you can make it work? If you have 3 exhausted family members next to you at 9PM you just might! What a bummer to get to your home away from home only to find your car is unchargable.

It’s kind of imperative that DVC / Disney writ large do a LOT better and VERY soon. Whether they want to or not.

I've rented a Tesla Model Y at very comparable rates to ICE vehicles at Hertz MCO and they ran out, so they gave me a Model 3. Even with the existing crappy infrastructure, it was very doable. I was able to charge at Riviera when we were there for a few days, then nearby Superchargers (SC) near Intl Blvd or Kissimmee when we were at Poly, BCV, and BLT for our 10 night visit this past summer. We even did a daytrip to a beach near Tampa without problems in the Model 3.

I actually drive a PHEV (Kia) and it is much easier to deal with the lack of chargers or the availability of same. It seems to me that even if a location has a bank of chargers, many of them are not in working order at any given time. I think the rental car companies should think about getting more PHEVs for this reason. The JEEP PHEV is pretty sweet, a friend of mine has one. I also heard that Dodge is looking at doing a PHEV RAM pickup.

Being familiar with a non-ICE car certainly helps in terms of managing battery. Having experience with ever-expanding, and ubiquitous Tesla supercharger stations increases comfort levels and decreases range-anxiety.

since our government is pushing the EVs they should be helping (with financial assistance) to ramp up the ability to charge those EVs.

They are certainly late to "pushing the EVs", but I think they are providing incentives (to the tune of billions) towards charging infrastructure. Problem as @CastAStone and @Mattrg_2000 point out, many of the WDW properties don't have chargers on site or have an inadequate amount.

As I point out, the cost to Disney is quote minimal:

1. The charging companies seek deals where the host (DVC or Disney management of whatever property) grants parking spots for install of the charging station(s).

2. The charging company (eg. Chargepoint) is responsible for installation.

3. The charging company provides electricity.

The only cost to DVC/Disney is the parking spots.

 

[Sandisw]

This can stay as long as it remains about adding to DVC…and info where to find around the world for DVC owners.

We should not get into any debates about them, which would include comments deemed political.

 

[purpliequeen]

Love this thread. Very helpful. We road tripped down from DC to WDW in Dec (week of Christmas to New Year) 2018 in our Tesla Model 3 and it was one of our favorite trips. We supercharged outside of the parks and I think plugged in one day in Epcot. We were staying at the time in Kidani, which was great because of the covered parking, but obviously we weren't able to charge at the resort. Felt very futuristic back then and I'm disappointed that not much change/improvement has been made in WDW as a whole when it comes to charging.

Rented a Tesla Model 3 in Oahu in Feb 2020 and stayed for a week at DVC Aulani. Incredible trip. We rented through Turo and it was easy and affordable. Highly recommend electric cars on Oahu because you can get around the island on one charge (at least the ~300 mile range Tesla Model 3) with no problems. Island also invested a lot in electric vehicle charging and there were plenty of places to plug in. The resort had charging as well - probably was mandated by the state/local officials when builiding the resort.

 

[CarolynFH]

hopefully inspire DVC to add infrastructure to our home resorts.

Another suggestion: expand this discussion to the Disney Resorts forum https://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-resorts.12/ to capture cash guests’ comments. The Parks & Resorts division has much greater influence on what gets installed at the resorts and the parks than the DVC division does. The more guests clamoring for more/better EV chargers, the more likely the upgrade will occur.

 

[iteachlit]

Tesla Superchargers
These add 200 miles in 15-25 minutes. They charge at 480 volts and upto 250 kW per hour.

150kwh 3 miles south of the Western Way at Wawa: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YH5eckdMp1jEySpy9?g_st=ic
150kwh 5 miles east of All-Star on Bronson Memorial Hwy: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LbN3ZYjyxcuKw2678?g_st=ic
250kwh 2 miles north of Disney Springs: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gVGHJ7aWxV6ZNUBk7?g_st=ic

That third one is in a kind of sketchy area. We thought we could check out some stores in the shopping center, but it's mostly food options. The few retail spots didn't look too inviting.

The Superchargers are also designated "high use," so it will only charge to 80%.

 

[emchen]

The Superchargers are also designated "high use," so it will only charge to 80%.

I’ve been to that particular station to charge when staying at AKL Kidani a year ago or so. Totally agree about the locale, not really a retail destination.

Just to clarify, high-use superchargers that I frequent automatically set limit to 80%, but you can override and set to up to 100% if you choose.

 

[Mattrg_2000]

What is an ideal solution for the 12 DVC properties in Orlando? 2 have about 10 spots with normal 120v outlets (VGF/AKVK) and 2 have 2 spots with ChargePoint L2 (RIV/CCV).

Here are some ideas:

- Copy VGF/AKVK and add 10 spots with normal 120v plugs to the other 8 properties. You’d have to trench power lines and a breaker panel. That’s 10 outlets that are 20volts each. I bet the garage at AKVK was built that way and it wasn’t a strategy. Not sure why VGF has them…maybe feedback from convention guests paying $1,000/night?

- Add Tesla Destination Chargers. A lot of hotels do this. Hilton announced installing 6 chargers at 2,000 new hotels in 2024. They are using the Tesla Universal Wall Charger that will charge any EV.

- Copy RIV/CCV and expand the ChargePoint relationship. They have 2 spots currently. It seams like at least 6 are needed. Fees for after-charging time should be significant to promote moving the car when charged. I’d also put them as far away from the entrance as possible so it’s not preferred parking. No valet spots either.

 

[Mattrg_2000]

Hilton
https://www.afar.com/magazine/hilton-is-adding-20-000-ev-stations-to-north-america-hotels

then Marriott
https://electrek.co/2023/09/19/marriott-hotels-ev-connect-charger-provider/

Disney
Crickets

 

[ehh]

What is an ideal solution for the 12 DVC properties in Orlando? 2 have about 10 spots with normal 120v outlets (VGF/AKVK) and 2 have 2 spots with ChargePoint L2 (RIV/CCV).

Here are some ideas:

- Copy VGF/AKVK and add 10 spots with normal 120v plugs to the other 8 properties. You’d have to trench power lines and a breaker panel. That’s 10 outlets that are 20volts each. I bet the garage at AKVK was built that way and it wasn’t a strategy. Not sure why VGF has them…maybe feedback from convention guests paying $1,000/night?

- Add Tesla Destination Chargers. A lot of hotels do this. Hilton announced installing 6 chargers at 2,000 new hotels in 2024. They are using the Tesla Universal Wall Charger that will charge any EV.

- Copy RIV/CCV and expand the ChargePoint relationship. They have 2 spots currently. It seams like at least 6 are needed. Fees for after-charging time should be significant to promote moving the car when charged. I’d also put them as far away from the entrance as possible so it’s not preferred parking. No valet spots either.

I think the ideal is a Level 2 partnership, similar to RIV/WL/DLH partnership with ChargePoint.

Advantages of a L2 partnership:

• Less time in a charging spot for the same amount of charge vs. VGF/AKVK's arrangement
  • Useful for guests just visiting a resort for a dining reservation, for example
  • Should also mean more guests can use it per day (etiquette issues aside)
• More feasible to get a big charge prior to returning a rental, or driving to Port Canaveral, etc.
• Guests don't need to bring anything to charge (other than maybe a NACS/J1772 adapter)
• Guests can be charged for their consumption
  • Hopefully negates any dues burden
• Guests can use apps to see availability and monitor charging
  • Monitoring charging is especially useful for EV renters, who probably don't have app access to their vehicle
• Disney can offload some of the development effort
• Speculation: Level 2 partnerships should make the impending NACS transition a bit easier for Disney, with likely drop-in replacement hardware packages available

 

[emchen]

Add Tesla Destination Chargers. A lot of hotels do this. Hilton announced installing 6 chargers at 2,000 new hotels in 2024. They are using the Tesla Universal Wall Charger that will charge any EV.

Why Disney hasn’t done this already is beyond me. Tesla provides install and electricity. Disney would just need to provide parking spots.

Speculation: Level 2 partnerships should make the impending NACS transition a bit easier for Disney

North American Charging Standard (NACS) = “Tesla plug”. Most major EV producers have announced adoption of this standard by 2024 and adapters are available for legacy non-Tesla EVs using J1772 (common) or CHADEMO (rare) plugs.

 

[Flash_Sloth]

The last time that we drove to WDW, we stayed at RIV and used the L2 charger in the west side of the parking lot a couple of times. It was more for convenience than anything else; it didn't save us any money vs. using a Supercharger. and we were lucky that one of the two chargers was available. We noticed an interesting assortment of other EVs and PHEVs charging there during our trip.

As quickly as EVs are becoming more popular, I'd love to see more charging options at the hotels, theme parks, Disney Springs, etc. Compared to when I did my first EV roadtrip in 2016, the charging options have improved significantly, but there is plenty of room for improvement with the EV growth.

I'm enjoying the conversation regarding costs & responsibilities for installing public chargers.

 

[BamaGuy44]

What is an ideal solution for the 12 DVC properties in Orlando? 2 have about 10 spots with normal 120v outlets (VGF/AKVK) and 2 have 2 spots with ChargePoint L2 (RIV/CCV).

Here are some ideas:

- Copy VGF/AKVK and add 10 spots with normal 120v plugs to the other 8 properties. You’d have to trench power lines and a breaker panel. That’s 10 outlets that are 20volts each. I bet the garage at AKVK was built that way and it wasn’t a strategy. Not sure why VGF has them…maybe feedback from convention guests paying $1,000/night?

- Add Tesla Destination Chargers. A lot of hotels do this. Hilton announced installing 6 chargers at 2,000 new hotels in 2024. They are using the Tesla Universal Wall Charger that will charge any EV.

- Copy RIV/CCV and expand the ChargePoint relationship. They have 2 spots currently. It seams like at least 6 are needed. Fees for after-charging time should be significant to promote moving the car when charged. I’d also put them as far away from the entrance as possible so it’s not preferred parking. No valet spots either.

These all seem like solid ideas. Soon the Tesla destination chargers will be able to charge pretty much any EV sold. Definitely agree on the significant idle fees being needed. Chargers that charge 1 car per day because it never moves aren't that useful.

One big issue will be keeping them from being used by non-EVs. The DVC resorts aren't going to make people mad by forcing them to move their car. Last time we were at RIV the EV spots usually had ICE cars parked there. They're close to the building and right next to the stairs. People suck so they will just take them

 

[BamaGuy44]

Love this thread. Very helpful. We road tripped down from DC to WDW in Dec (week of Christmas to New Year) 2018 in our Tesla Model 3 and it was one of our favorite trips. We supercharged outside of the parks and I think plugged in one day in Epcot. We were staying at the time in Kidani, which was great because of the covered parking, but obviously we weren't able to charge at the resort. Felt very futuristic back then and I'm disappointed that not much change/improvement has been made in WDW as a whole when it comes to charging.

Rented a Tesla Model 3 in Oahu in Feb 2020 and stayed for a week at DVC Aulani. Incredible trip. We rented through Turo and it was easy and affordable. Highly recommend electric cars on Oahu because you can get around the island on one charge (at least the ~300 mile range Tesla Model 3) with no problems. Island also invested a lot in electric vehicle charging and there were plenty of places to plug in. The resort had charging as well - probably was mandated by the state/local officials when builiding the resort.

Interesting about Hawaii. I'm guessing Aulani doesn't have any chagers?

 

[Mattrg_2000]

Interesting about Hawaii. I'm guessing Aulani doesn't have any chagers?

Aulani has 15 stations and 21 spots. ChargePoint. Free to guests of the hotel/villas. Normal parking fees if not on points. I’ve read that O’ahu is very EV friendly. I wonder what that association had to do to get them?

 

[Mattrg_2000]

+++
DLR (all chargepoint).

Mickey and Friends: 40+ L2. Park early to ensure vacancy.

Pixar Pier Hotel Garage (closest for VGC and GCH guests): 4 L2. Best time for vacancy seems around 11-2.

DLH North-most Parking Lot: 10+ L2.

Toy Story Lot: 40+ L2. Park anytime and chances are great there will be charging vacancy.

Looks like you guys have a TON in Disney Land. The park lots and downtown disney have about 50 spots per lot.

Villas Grand Cali parking lot has nothing. They say the valet might be able to let you plug your adapter into one wall plug.

The Disneyland hotel (including the new DVC tower) has 25 spots. ChargePoint and fees similar to Orlando. $0.35/kwh.

Any Grand California home resort people have thoughts on how to help Orlando?

 

[purpliequeen]

Interesting about Hawaii. I'm guessing Aulani doesn't have any chagers?

Yes, as I mentioned in my post + as Mattrg confirmed: "The resort had charging as well - probably was mandated by the state/local officials when builiding the resort."

I think the City/local zoning board required the chargers as part of the resort development. Some jurisdictions require them as part of building code. They are unfortunately close to the doors to/from the resort so great chance of getting ICE'd, but we didn't have any problems when we were there.

Hawaii is very EV-friendly, especially Oahu. As I mentioned, the island is a nice size that you're always in proximity to charging from the major roads/highways. As such, we were never concerned about range/"running out of charge." And if I am remembering correctly from Feb 2020 (may not be the case now), public parking (such as in garages) were free as long as it was a public (city) garage or space! Another great incentive.

 

[emchen]

Hawaii is very EV-friendly, especially Oahu.

…and Kauai can run 100% on renewables (especially solar) for hours at a time in spurts.

 

[Mattrg_2000]

Did Boardwalk add charging spots? Anyone there or going? Here’s the spot…

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfHst1aGsjfn5y1d6?g_st=ic